Valentine’s Treats: more sweet sugar-free recipes

Posted on February 14th, 2012

How good is this: people I’ve never met join me in quitting sugar via I Quit Sugar, and then get in touch to share some very pretty recipes that they’ve adapted or made up from scratch. Feeling the love much? I did. It’s V-day, so I’m paying it forward. Let me know if you get inspired to make one of these for a loved one?

ricotta with raspberries, lavender and coconut

Three heaped tablespoons of fresh ricotta (I used ricotta from a local farmer who uses biodynamic milk, but will be having a shot at making my own soon!)

One tablespoon coconut oil

Then sprinkle with:

A handful of fresh raspberries

A tiny sprinkle of dried lavender buds (go easy as they can overpower)

lime and coconut cheesecake

From Erin. Erin told me via twitter that she based this recipe off my recent cheesecake recipe. You can find mine here.

Base

100g hazelnut meal

150g shredded coconut

About 60g of melted butter

Combine all together and press into base and bake for about 10 minutes in 180 oven

Filling

2 packets of cream cheese

Juice and zest of one lime

1/2 cup of coconut cream

Vanilla bean

1 egg

1/2 cup rice syrup

1-2 Tablespoons of natvia

Chuck all of it in a food processor and blend. Top the base with the filling and bake for about 35 minutes on 160. Chill, then eat.

breakfast beauty

From Kallie Kitas

two slices bread

butter

2 eggs

parsley

lettuce

coriander

4 T olive oil

pinch of celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

Toasted the bread in the oven on 120 degrees.
While that is crankin’ in the oven, boil 2 pastured eggs in a pot on medium heat. It’s your choice if you like them soft which is 8 minutes and hard boiled 12 minutes.
While the eggs boil, prepare your green leafy vegetables - parsely, coriander, lettuce and any other vegetable you would like. Mix with 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, pinch of celtic sea salt and pepper.

Place bread on plate. Spread grass-fed butter on the bread, as much as you like. Cut the eggs into 1/4′s and place on bread. Finally, add the green leafy vegetables, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, and you are ready to eat a beautiful and nourishing breakfast!

carob tofu bliss balls

Emma says: I used a medium-firm tofu. You don’t want to use a really firm tofu unless you are happy with chunks throughout the bliss balls and silken tofu would be too wet. If you really aren’t keen to try carob, cocoa powder can be used instead, just use a little less than the carob amount given below.

Makes approx 30 small balls

250g tofu

3/4 cup pitted dates, finely chopped

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

2-3 tablespoons carob powder, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

1 tablespoon tahini

1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

extra coconut for coating

Pat the tofu dry with paper towels to remove excess water. Place into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix using your hands to evenly combine.

Form into small balls and roll in extra desiccated coconut. Transfer to a container in a single layer and refrigerate overnight. Keeps 4-5 days in the fridge.

sugar-free peanut butter mousse

“Sig” says: Gluten-free, sugar/fructose-free, low-carb and high-protein. You can experiment with this recipe – I’ve made a blueberry version using frozen blueberries, try it with cocoa powder and a hint of peppermint essence to make it a choc-mint mousse – options are endless! I’ve also used this as a filling in various desserts too.

250 gm (~10 oz) cottage cheese

1.5 –2 Tb natural smooth Peanut Butter

1 sachet/tsp Stevia (You can use dextrose if you like)

Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender (haven’t tried, but I’m sure you could try this with an immersion/stick blender and a bowl).

Blend until you get a smooth consistency and all lumps from the cottage cheese are gone. I actually used a tiny bit of water to get things going as it’s quite a thick mixture. Don’t use too much otherwise it’ll get too runny.

Divide mousse mixture evenly into two glasses. If you’re impatient like me, you can eat it straight away, but I like to chill it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to let it H(TF)U* for a bit.

choc chip chia cookies

From Erin

2 cups of oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 tablespoons of natvia

2 tablespoons hazelnut meal

100g butter

1/2 cup Brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon bi carb soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 egg

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Combine oats, coconut, hazlenut meal, cacao nibs, Natvia and chia seeds in a bowl. Place the rice syrup on the stove in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the chopped butter, melt, then bring to the boil while whisking. Remove from the heat and add the bicarb and whisk. Then add the vanilla and salt. Add the brown syrup mix to the dry ingredients, combine, then add the egg.

Use a tablespoon to measure out equal amounts of the mixture on a lined baking tray. Press down the balls firmly onto the tray. Bake in the oven for 12- 15 minutes. Watch them as they tend to brown easily.

copha-and-sugar-free chocolate crackles

From Sofie Camili [I was just talking about choc crackles on the weekend...great that you've come up with one - Sarah.]

to give depth, add a couple of tablespoons of organic cacao (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in bowl. As with the old style recipe using an entire block of Copha (yikes!), heat coconut oil until melted and allow to cool slightly, then pour over dry ingredients. Stir and spoon into patty pans. Refrigerate for around an hour or until set.

If you’re well and truly off the IQS program and want some more sweet inspiration, I’ve posted some options here and here.

Feel free to add in more recipes below… or questions for the various recipe developers in this post. I’m sure they’ll answer them.

Place milk, cocoa powder and coconut oil in a small saucepan.
Place on low-med heat.
Whisk until the cocoa, milk and coconut are combined.
Add in the stevia and mix through.
Put in the cinnamon stick and remove from the heat.
Let infuse 10-15 mins then discard the stick.

make em in 5 mins (+ fridge time, but i scoff it warm too!!) and they’re delicious … coming from one who’s not doing iqs, and no (known) food intolerances, so lets say someone with more options, i think that means they really are gorgeous! xx

ok im on fire today … can i add a little off topic-ism …. or maybe it’s not so much?
sweet and yet no sugar added:
something lovely to do on the love day … see the film made with so much love :
the artist …. it’s sooooo beautiful!! i burst out crying walking out of the theatre i was so moved by it (my man thought id done myself some kinda injury!)
i marvel at the hearts & minds that create this stuff … and collaboratively … its so inspirational!

I’ve made something similar to the chocolate crackles but instead of puffed rice I use cooked oats groats so they are chewy rather than crackly. I waited until the groats were cool enough to touch, then rubbed them with a bit of salted crunchy peanut butter (sanitarium do a natural version that you can buy in major supermarkets with no rubbish added but it’s unsalted) added raw cacao, stevia and coconut oil then refrigerated in teaspoon sized balls. Great treat!

Ok here’s a good one…sort of a raw choc fudge cake thingy!?! Blend maybe about 4 to 6 tablespoons of coconut butter (I make my own in the blender before I start with a packet of organic unsweetened coconut and a dollop of coconut oil) then add two tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus half to one small very ripe banana. Blend til smooth and then pop into a container and freeze or refrigerate. Don’t eat it all at once!!!

I have seen it at various health food shops including Mrs Flannery’s. I eat a tiny amount (like, half a teaspoon max) out of the jar and it can totally fulfill that nagging sweet craving.
It does have 5.7g of sugar (in fact has agave in it) per 100g but the quantity you need is so tiny I can’t see it would be too heavy on the fructose. (there are other flavours besides vanilla but I think they have more sugar)

I tried Sarah’s tip about eating coconut oil but there is something slightly…..creepy…..about that stuff in its semi solid state.
Love cooking with it though!

Hi Sarah.
I agree with Nissa. I was surprised to see carob recommended as I’ve also looked it up and seen the 75% sucrose rating. You’d be far wiser to use raw cacao powder, like the Lovingearth one. If you’re trying to go sucrose-free, that is.
Heather

I would much prefer to have carob as a treat in a otherwise healthy low sugar diet. I have had troubles with my adrenal glands in the past and for me personally the high levels of theobromine (a stimulant) in raw cacao are not the best for my health.

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I'm a journalist + TV presenter. I write about how to make life better. If I had a resume it would list the following: editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, host of MasterChef Australia, Sunday Life columnist, host + producer of the Lifestyle YOU channel (under "hobbies" it would say: eating + riding a bike).
I'm on a mission to find ways to make life bigger, more meaningful, nicer, smarter, heartier.